At UFC 189, Gunner Nelson will be looking to rebound from his first pro loss, and the promising welterweight says how he feels and moves will play a deciding factor.

Nelson is booked to fight Brandon Thatch at the July 11th event, which will mark the first time he’s fought since October, when he dropped a split decision to Rick Story. Leading up to that bout, Nelson had captured the attention of fans and pundits alike, thanks to a 13-0-1 run.

Recently the Icelandic fighter spoke to UFC.com about this Saturday’s bout, as well as his first defeat. While doing so, Nelson said the following:

“I felt I wasn’t moving the way I’m used to moving,” Nelson said. “I wasn’t moving freely. It’s a very basic thing for a fighter—or for me anyway. It’s a feel that you have to have, and you can’t get caught up in certain movements. It has to be free, and that’s what I felt went wrong in this fight. It’s happened in the past, but I got away with it. But I didn’t this time, and so maybe that’s a good thing for me that I didn’t because now I know what it is that can hold my performance back.”

In Thatch (11-2), Nelson (13-1-1) will also face an opponent who’s also coming off a loss, as he was submitted by Benson Henderson in February. Thatch had won 10 in row prior to the defeat.

Following the news that John Hathaway has been forced to withdraw from UFC 189 due to injury, the promotion has announced that Brandon Thatch will face Gunnar Nelson, Hathaway’s original opponent.

Thatch was initially booked to fight John Howard at the July 11th event. Due to the change, Nelson’s teammate out of SBG in Dublin, Ireland, Cathal Pendred, has been booked to fight Howard.

Thatch (11-2) hasn’t fought since February, when he was submitted by Benson Henderson. Nelson (13-1-1), meanwhile, is looking to rebound from a decision loss to Rick Story last October.

Pendred (17-2-1) will have a quick turn around, as the welterweight is coming off a decision win over Augusto Montano earlier this month at UFC 188. Howard (22-11), on the other hand, dropped a decision to Lorenz Larkin in January and has lost three in a row.

UFC 189 will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The line-up for UFC 189 continues to grow, as the promotion has confirmed that Gunnar Nelson will take on John Hathaway at the July 11th event. The upcoming card will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden… Read More

]]>

Gunnar Nelson

By FCF Staff

The line-up for UFC 189 continues to grow, as the promotion has confirmed that Gunnar Nelson will take on John Hathaway at the July 11th event. The upcoming card will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nelson (13-1-1) will be looking to rebound from his first pro loss, as the Icelandic fighter dropped a split decision to Rick Story in October. Nelson has gone 4-1 to date in the UFC.

Hathaway (17-2), on the other hand, hasn’t fought since he was KO’d by Dong Hyun Kim in March, 2014. The British fighter had won three straight prior to the defeat.

UFC 189 will be headlined by a featherweight fight between champion Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Nelson has trained extensively with the latter at the Straight Blast Gym in Ireland.

The card will also see welterweight champ Robbie Lawler take on Rory MacDonald.

Although Conor McGregor may have a ways to go yet, before he secures the title shot he repeatedly discusses, the featherweight has moved into the UFC’s top ten rankings.

Following McGregor’s first round, stoppage win over Diego Brandao at UFC Fight Night 46 last weekend, the Irish fighter has moved up two positions and is ranked #10.

McGregor has defeated Max Holloway, Marcus Brimage and now Brandao since arriving in the UFC.

Jeremy Stephens, who is coming off a decision loss to Cub Swanson, dropped one spot and is now #11.

Another UFC FN 46 competitor has moved up in the rankings as a result of a win Saturday, as welterweight Gunnar Nelson rose a spot to #12. The Icelandic fighter choked out Zak Cummings at the July 19th card.

Although John Lineker stopped Alpetekin Ozkillic at UFC Fight Night 45 last Wednesday, the flyweight has dropped a position and is now ranked #7. Jussier “Formiga” rose a slot and is #6.

Although Zak Cummings became the first man in May to hand Yan Cabral a loss, and has won four straight, the welterweight will be a considerable underdog this Saturday when he takes on Gunnar Nelson. It’s a… Read More

]]>

Zak Cummings

By FCF Staff

Although Zak Cummings became the first man in May to hand Yan Cabral a loss, and has won four straight, the welterweight will be a considerable underdog this Saturday when he takes on Gunnar Nelson. It’s a familiar label for Cummings, and it’s one that evidently makes him laugh.

While speaking to UFC.com recently about his UFC Fight Night 46 bout with Nelson, here is some of what Cummings had to say:

“When you have two guys who don’t want to play the point system – they want to choke the other guy out or knock him out – it makes for an exciting fight,” said Cummings (17-3), who was also the consensus underdog when he took on Cabral. “I know I’m going to come in as the underdog and I’ll be laughing at it again. I know where my skill set is and I know I can compete with these guys and I know I can compete with the best guys in the world and Gunnar’s one of them. But it’s my time to prove to everybody else that I’m one of those guys too.”

Nelson, who like Cabral is also a BJJ Black Belt, has won three straight since joining the UFC and is 12-0-1 overall.